PHILADELPHIA - La Salle will compete in the fourth annual Big 5 Volleyball Tournament this weekend at the Palestra, beginninig on Friday at 4PM against Villanova.

On Saturday, the Explorers will face host Penn at 10AM and Temple at 4PM. The entire tournament schedule can be viewed here.

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La Salle enters the weekend 1-3 and will look to build on the foundation they laid in the season's opening weekend.

"Our win against Niagara was obviously a positive," head coach Dave Stever said. "They were a good team and it showed our potential."

"We just need to bring our 'A' game to all matches," he said. "If we begin to combine our experience with our freshman talent, we should come out on top."

La Salle Invitational all-tournament selection Samantha Tulskie leads the Explorers with 41 kills (.164) and ranks second in digs with 70. Fellow senior Breanna Mazalewski heads La Salle's defensive effort and currently stands atop the Atlantic 10 in digs (83). 

"Sam had some very good swings at the ball and also played great defense for us," Stever said. "In addition, freshmen Kelly Perillo and Michelle Healy played well over the weekend and will be an important part of our success."

Perillo registered 26 kills (.150) over the weekend, good for third on the team. Healy's 47 assists are the second-most for the Explorers.

Scouting Villanova (2-1)
The Wildcats were shut out 3-0 by Maryland in their opener but rebounded to beat Robert Morris and New Hampshire last weekend in the Villanova Classic. Their youthful roster contains seven freshman, including Laura Carpenter, who leads the team in kills with 33 (.124) and ranks second in digs (27). Carpenter, along with junior Carly Edwards (27 kills, .259), were named to the Villanova Classic All-Tournament Team. The 'Cats rank third in the Big East in digs/set (17.09) and fifth in aces/set (1.45).

Scouting Penn (10-14, 6-8 Ivy League in 2011)
The Quakers tip off their season this weekend and return an experienced group including six seniors. Most notably, Amanda Pacheco is coming off an All-Ivy League selection in 2011 after posting 249 kills and ranking ninth in the conference in hitting percentage (.289). Junior Dani Shepherd led the Ivy League in digs/set (6.16) in 2011, which ranked third nationally. Her 32 service aces were also the top mark in the confrence. 

Scouting Temple (2-2)
The Owls opened their season with losses to South Carolina and East Tennessee State and victories over UNC Asheville and Akron last weekend at the South Carolina Gamecock Invitational. Junior Elyse Burkett was named to the all-tournament team after registering 54 total kills. Her mark of 4.5 kills/set currently leads the A-10. As a team, Temple ranks third in the conference in kills/set (12.67) and fourth in digs/set (14.67).